


The Northwatch Redemption

by TheMulletWhisperer



Series: Regulations be Damned [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Escape, F/M, Fluff, Party, Thalmor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-08 22:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6878299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMulletWhisperer/pseuds/TheMulletWhisperer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Galina, after almost a month at Northwatch Keep as a prisoner, finally gets her chance at escape.</p><p>But the question is, does she /want/ to escape?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short, I felt the setup should be separate. I've got the whole thing written, I'm just going to upload them in two chapters.

If Northwatch had a good behavior chart, Galina would  _ definitely _ be up there. Somewhere. Probably. Then again, good behavior generally constituted keeping your cell clean and not talking back to the guards. So, she probably actually wouldn’t be up there. But good  _ look _ ? Now you’re talking. She’d noticed several guards taking long looks at her, but none more than Arkved. Since she’d arrived in the keep, her feelings for him, somewhere in the scheme of things, had shifted from antagonistic to a warm attraction.

 

Now more than ever, the Nord took notice of his sharp jawline, his perfectly-formed nose, the warm, pale gold of his skin, and his gorgeous amber eyes; and, while she couldn’t see much from under that pesky moonstone plate, she liked to imagine his arms were firm and strong. That he w--

 

What was she doing? Oh yes, talking to the Thalmor outside of her cell--who seemed to have noticed her lengthy absent-mindedness, and had taken to reaching through the bars and snapping her fingers in front of Galina’s face.

 

“Huh? What? I’m awake.”   
  
In an unamused tone, and with an equally unamused expression, the Inquisitor continued, “As I was  _ saying _ , there is a celebration to be held in the Blue Palace, just up the road. Some... _ thing _ for some glorified mongrel human, and the Thalmor want to make certain that nothing is said out of line. The Third Emissary is already present, but as should go without saying, we will need Justiciars there to deal with any unruly sorts that the incompetent guardsmen cannot,” Galina now really  _ was  _ fighting off sleep, only paying minor attention as the Inquisitor motioned to Arkved beside her, “that is where you come in, Nord. No doubt we will receive several accusations of bigotry, which, ordinarily, would be of little bother to us, however, in the interest of avoiding conflict... I am certain you can see where this is going. You will be accompanying the Justiciar here,” She once again motioned to Arkved, “to this party. You will be kept under very close watch, I assure you. However, if you keep on your best behavior, I am certain...we can arrange for better commodities for your stay.” That caught her ear, and she nodded in response to the excruciatingly long-winded speech.

 

“Fine, fine. It’s not like I have a  _ choice _ anyway, do I?” 

 

“No, you do no. Arkved here will fetch you once he is ready. You will be provided your own dress, and--”

 

“Dress? No no no, I don’t wear dresses.” Galina’s nose scrunched up.

 

“You do now.” The Inquisitor didn’t give so much as a moment for her to respond before walking off. Flashing a quick, stunning smile to her, Arkved scrambled after.

 

Well, a party with the only person she even remotely tolerated in the Keep...not bad, as far as rewards go. Not that she had  _ any  _ intention of staying on her best behavior.


	2. Escape from Northwatch-atraz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To better understand another side of this chapter, it was written in parallel to Imdex's "Pity Party", which can be found at
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/6862792

The frigid, icy atmosphere of the mountain gave way to a warm, temperate climate that afforded respite to Galina’s numb fingers as the carriage’s wheels began rolling over paved stone. Even her Nordic heritage didn’t protect her from the ungodly cold of the peaks. 

 

On either side of her sat armored Thalmor Justiciars, with wickedly sharp axes at their hips. However, she paid little mind to the both of them, as in front of her sat Arkved, dressed in a black suit with gold trim, red faced, and trying desperately to keep his eyes from wandering to Galina’s rather low-cut dress. For whatever reason, the Thalmor had picked  _ this _ out for her. It, like Arkved’s suit, was embroidered with gold around the waist, the hems of the sleeves, the neck, and the skirt.  _ Unlike _ her date’s, however, it was a deep aegean color. As for her hair, it wasn’t particularly fancy, as she kept it short enough that styling wasn’t of much help.

 

Once done with her observation of her surroundings, the carriage pulled to a stop in front of Solitude, allowing its passengers to disembark. Arkved grabbed his Dominion-mandated shortsword and affixed it to his belt, holding out an arm for Galina, who promptly took it. Even though this was  _ meant _ to be a restraining move that merely kept an innocent air about it, they both enjoyed it thoroughly and separately. 

 

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

 

As the two of them entered the Blue Palace through the disappointingly lackluster double doors, their overall impression of the Palace changed dramatically, and at the same time. The first thing they noticed was the noise, the party seemed to be in full-swing, with several conversations, laughter, the desperate clicking of the Jester’s feet, and the bards’ music. While it wasn’t loud, it was still an overwhelming change.

 

Next, they noted the stonework and decorations, even of the entry hall. It truly,  _ truly _ was a magnificent palace. 

 

Their attentions were turned away from the Palace when they were approached by Elisif herself, a drink in hand and a smile on her face. “I am glad you could make it, Justiciar. The Commander of Northwatch told me you’d be coming.” 

 

This wasn’t the first time Galina had seen Elisif, though this was the first time that she wasn’t there to kill something for her. Arkved, on the other hand, was momentarily dumb struck by the presence of the Jarl, but he managed to regain his regal, Dominion pomp only moments later, “Much appreciated, Jarl. I was pleased to receive an invite,” He motioned over to Galina, “This here is Mrs. Alkaev, a good friend of mine.”

 

Galina gave a soft nod to Elisif, who seemed ever so slightly surprised to see her on the arm of a Thalmor, but remained quiet. The reasoning wasn’t particularly surprising, Galina had always been vocal of her disdain for the Altmer. 

 

Nonetheless, the two parted ways, entering the main hall. “Here we are,” Arkved spoke down to Galina, who was considerably shorter than him, almost two feet taller, to be precise “remain on your best behavior, Nor--savage. Do you understand?”   
  
“No, I lost my hearing around the time your insufferable egos started screaming Altmer supremacy in my ear.”

 

“Just try to get along today, yes? The sooner...uh, sooner that you get out of there. That cell, I mean, I don’t...have to smell you, any longer.” He nodded sagely, as if he’d just burned her to next year.

 

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Let’s get this over with, where are the drinks?”   
  


Arkved went to say something, but was cut off by the shattering of a glass and a shriek from somewhere up the stairs. Armed with a raised brow and a dangerous curiosity, he walked up the stairs, forgetting Galina in the foyer to investigate.

 

Now was her chance. Most of the guards weren’t paying attention to what was going on, either asleep under their helmets or trying to figure out where the shriek came from. She only had a short time.

 

Thinking quickly, the Nord darted off to one of the side rooms, sliding into the door and shutting it behind her. From nearby, she grabbed a fire poker and jammed it through the handle of the polished mahogany door, buying herself a little time. Two windows with the drapes pulled, a bed, a chest, and a fireplace. Not much she could do, but she saw the escape. 

 

Approaching the window, she pulled the drapes open, trying to open the window every which way. Nothing. Shit. That’s when she heard the door rattling. Arkved was back, she was sure of it, and his voice calling for her only confirmed her fears.

 

She was going to have to run, and fast. Using her considerable strength, she tore the fiber of the dress to give her more mobility, leaving her in knee-high laced boots and a portion of exposed thigh from the waist down. 

 

Just as the poker gave way and the door was kicked in, Galina smashed the window with her elbow, ruining the sleeve, but allowing her to jump through and down to the ground. She could vaguely hear the Nordic guards shouting after her, though she merely continued running through the alleyways behind the houses. 

 

It was only when she was sure that she was a safe enough distance from the Palace--just near the catacombs--did she sit to rest and regain her bearings. A knife in her boot, swiped from the Keep as she was changing, a length of dress fabric, and what was likely several guards between her and the gate. There was one way left she could think of, hopefully unguarded. However, as she moved to start towards it, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

 

Her body froze immediately, trying to discern if she was going to die or not. Until her captor spoke.

 

“You’re smarter than I thought, Galina.” It was Arkved. She turned around to face him, sighing defeatedly.

 

“You caught me, Arkved. I won’t fight you.”

 

The Altmer sighed, shaking his head. “I know how well I play the part, but...I don’t want you to go back in there. It’s a pit of oblivion, you’re smart to run. I won’t report you, I just...I don’t want to see you run from  _ me _ .”’

 

To say the least, Galina was taken aback by the confession, in a snap realization, realizing she didn’t want that either. “I...wh…” Though her words failed her, actions took their place as she closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together. 

 

The kiss was held for quite a time before she had to pull back for air, sighing quietly. “Get back to the party, Arkved. Don’t let them think you were helping me.” Galina’s voice was a bit more resigned this time, and he seemed to sense it. The Justiciar gave her hand one last squeeze before he let go and ran back towards the Palace, Galina in the other direction.

 

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

 

Once she’d properly recovered from her reeling mind, Galina peeked around the corner, ducking back quickly as a guard’s patrol route took him past her. It seemed that none of them understood the weight of what had happened, or there’s certainly be more on alert. Nonetheless, with the Third Emissary at the party, there were bound to be others just waiting for someone to act up, so she stepped carefully.

 

Under the cloak of the night, the Nord rushed out from her hiding place to press against the wall of the archway from the training grounds to the watchtower, watching for anyone nearby. Luckily, the party seemed to be keeping those not asleep occupied, giving her ample time to round the corner...and come face-to-face with a locked iron bar door. This time, though, she had a lockpick--well,  _ dagger _ \--on her person. 

  
  


Slipping the dagger from her boot, she got down on one knee and began fiddling with the lock, watching her surroundings carefully for any guards, or indeed anyone at all. 

Luck, it seemed, was on her side, though, as the lock popped quietly and allowed her inside. As soon as she stepped over the threshold and began down the stairs, she knew she was a fugitive from the Thalmor now. They’d hunt her forever...and she didn’t care.  All the way down and all the way out to the dock district, she ruminated over what was next. Where she would go. Maybe Stormcloak territory, not even the Thalmor dared venture to a place so hostile.

 

One thing was for sure though.

  
She’d see Arkved again.


End file.
